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Deborah S. Patz – Author

Author of film books for industry pros and youth

Mar92017

You Know You’re a Filmie When… Print-Through Moments

You know you’re a filmie when “they” call it déjà vu, but you call it a print-through moment!

nag

For newbie-filmies, print-through is when a recorded sound on a reel-to-reel magnetic stock recorder (like a Nagra) is so loud that an echo of it is heard before and after the sound itself. When the tape wraps around the reel, the loud recorded sound touches and affects the magstock next pressed next to it.

Cheers & a good shoot to you,
Deb

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Deb Patz is the author of “Film Production Management 101” and the upcoming “Write! Shoot! Edit! A Complete Guide to Filmmaking for Teens” both published by MWP Books. She experienced no print-through moments while writing this post.

WHERE IS DEB? (upcoming events and appearances)
Jun.3-7 – Guest instructor – PEI Screenwriter’s Bootcamp, Charlottetown, PEI
Jul.30-Aug.3 – UFVA Conference, Los Angeles, CA

Feb282017

Memorable Lines from Movies – Intended and Not

rocktRemember these lines?

“Curse your sudden but inevitable betrayal!”

or

“I can’t believe you had THAT in your purse!”

If you’ve seen either movie, chances are you remember not only the lines, but the performer’s delivery even as you read the text now.

But I don’t want to talk about these types of intended memorable lines today. I want to talk about:

“Push it, buddy!”

Remember it? You probably don’t. I remember it because I was there at the recording session at the time, but honestly, I probably would have forgotten the line myself over time. It’s just not that memorable. Now there’s nothing wrong with the line. It was used in LucasFilm’s animated series “Droids” and it was perfectly suitable for the action of the scene: one character was encouraging the driver of the spaceship to floor it so they could escape danger. Here’s how it became memorable in my life:

A friend of the family and her young son moved to Canada from Hungary and stayed with my family for a spell. The boy didn’t speak much English when they arrived. Soon enough he discovered “Droids” (naturally, I have the whole set) and he totally got into it. All that action with C3P0 and R2 at the centre… who wouldn’t? Silently, he’d sit and watch the episodes over and over again. And what was the first and only line he quoted from the entire series? You got it:

“Push it, buddy!” (in a lovely, Hungarian accent)

Now, I don’t know if he knew what the phrase meant, but he took joy in the sound of the words and repeated the phrase over and over and over again – more frequently than I’d heard it during the making of the series (which is quite a lot when you consider auditions, recording sessions, rough cuts, etc.).

So, it goes to show that you can write a script, thinking certain lines are destined to linger in people’s thoughts… but those memorable lines may just end up being different ones that you intend!

So, what do you think? It all comes back to “just write a good script with good characters” (instead of stressing over creating memorable lines), doesn’t it?

Cheers & and great script to you,
Deb

P.S. Can you identify the movies associated with the memorable lines up top?

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Deb Patz is the author of “Film Production Management 101” and the upcoming “Write! Shoot! Edit! A Complete Guide to Filmmaking for Teens” both published by MWP Books. She uses a Canadian accent to say “Push it, buddy!”

WHERE IS DEB? (upcoming events and appearances)
Jun.3-7 – Guest instructor – PEI Screenwriter’s Bootcamp, Charlottetown, PEI
Jul.30-Aug.3 – UFVA Conference, Los Angeles, CA

Feb232017

Bring on the Oscar Parties!

blktiPlanning an Oscar party? Oh yeah!

Here are a couple of ideas to get you started. Start with the dress code to set the tone.

DRESS CODE FOR GUESTS:

  • Black tie (fun!)
  • Creative black tie (more fun!)
  • Dress as your favourite movie character from a movie that won an Oscar (wacky!)

THE RED CARPET & TIME WAITING FOR THE NEXT AWARD:
It’s all about the competition! Choose, debate and choose again…

  • Best dressed on the red carpet
  • Most creative outfit on the red carpet
  • Best commercial
  • Best acceptance speech
  • Best performed song
  • Most embarrassing moment

THE AWARDS & WINNERS:

  • The “Parallel Oscars” Competition – The ol’ standard Oscar night game: hand out the nomination sheets before or at the start of the party to guests to guess who’ll win; watch and see who guessed the most correct Oscar wins. It’s fun to discuss why you made the choices you made.
  • The “Whatcha Get?” Game – If your guests haven’t seen many of the Oscar noms, perhaps instead do a random draw for each nomination to determine each person’s nomination sheet. Less competition between guests, but just as fun.
  • Pick up a plastic Oscar statuette from a local party shop and present it to the party winner

Then all you need is good food (finger foods, of course) and drink (how about ginger ale served in plastic champagne flutes?) and enjoy Oscar night!

What ideas are you planning?

Cheers and a good Oscar party to you,
Deb

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Deb Patz is the author of “Film Production Management 101” and the upcoming “Write! Shoot! Edit! A Complete Guide to Filmmaking for Teens” both published by MWP Books. It’s no suprise that she loves Oscar night parties.

WHERE IS DEB? (upcoming events and appearances)
Jun.3-7 – Guest instructor – PEI Screenwriter’s Bootcamp, Charlottetown, PEI
Jul.30-Aug.3 – UFVA Conference, Los Angeles, CA

Jan202017

Tips from a Busy Person – Step 1: Pencil & Paper

Just as you are falling asleep, your mind finally relaxes and a thought floats in to your head. It’s something you HAVE to remember to do tomorrow.

…or…

It’s 3am and you partially rouse from sleep. It’s like that task you forgot to do yesterday has nudged you awake, reminding you to do it later that day.

Sounds familiar?

If so, you are a busy person (like me).

When the mind truly relaxes – i.e. when you’re falling asleep or at some ridiculous hour of the night – lost, niggly thoughts buried under the 1,000 to-dos and obligations that swim around your brain finally rise to surface. Sure, there’s a voice in your head that tells you not to worry. That thought is so clear, so obvious, it’s bound to resurface come morning. Such a fibber, your semi-conscious self! You won’t remember.

What to do?

pnclbdEquip a pencil and paper beside the bed. “Write away” that thought or idea and get back as fast as possible to your sleep and recovery journey.

Why not a smart phone or tablet? Too many swipes and clicks and that bright screen. Using one will wake you up to near or full consciousness and that puts you in danger of having trouble getting back to sleep. You’re back at square one (sleep wise). The trick is to get your semi-conscious self to scribble down some trigger word or doodle while busy-mind conscious self is still unaware you’re even waking up.

As for why a pencil? It’s a more reliable marking device and any marks that miss the paper clean off the furniture more easily.

For paper, recycle the backs of old scripts or other documents. The nocturnal prompt only has to last as long a breakfast when you’ll be awake enough to decipher it and translate it to the day’s actual to-do list (on smart phone, tablet or wherever you have it).

Pencil and paper. Hmmm. Sometimes old school and low-tech is the way to go.

 

Cheers & a good night’s sleep to you,
Deb

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Deborah Patz is author of “Film Production Management 101” and the upcoming “Write! Shoot! Edit!” both published by MWP Books.  Happily, she didn’t need to make any 3am notes last night!

WHERE IS DEB? (Events, appearances)
Jan.24 – Author guest at the Tea & Ink Writing Cub, Vancouver
Jul.30-Aug.3 – UFVA conference, Los Angeles

Jan72017

Glady Works in the Movies: The Outdoor Winter Shoot

gladys-wntr-2017

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Deborah Patz is author of “Film Production Management 101” and the upcoming “Write! Shoot! Edit!” both published by MWP Books. Her set parka came from the “Edison Twins” shoot way back when.

 

Jan12017

New Year, New Book, More FILM & INK Blog

Fresh green stalk

Breaks through the snowy crust

To kiss the sun

snwymss

Welcome to the new year!

Now, last year I wanted to blog more, to connect more, to do more. Well I certainly accomplished a lot: I wrote a couple of books (one set for publication in 2017), worked full time, took courses for my Masters of Creative Writing, and a bunch of etcetera.

What I didn’t do so well last year on was work-life balance.

I, therefore, start this year with some self-forgiveness. I do plan to blog more and connect more, but I also don’t expect myself to be super-human either. If I miss a planned post here and there, that will be okay. Know that I’m still here, but am probably wickedly busy.

The plan so far: for my FILM & INK blog, I’ll be writing for and about the FILM (and TV) industry, as well as posts about writing (the INK)… and FILM still stands for:

F-un

I-nspiration

L-ife

M-anagement
(of a production or your career)

 

So, here’s looking forward to the new year, more blogging fun and to my new book “Write! Shoot! Edit!” (a book for teens to make their first scripted movies).

All the best for the new year to you!
Deb

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Deborah Patz is author of “Film Production Management 101” and the upcoming “Write! Shoot! Edit!”